Help with bubble hash extraction

I'm not new to growing, but I am new to extraction. We had 4 tightly stuffed gallon Ziplocs of trimmings (small flowers and sugar leaf) in our freezer from harvest last month and we decided to try making bubble hash this year. I read a bunch of articles and watched a bunch of videos and got a set of bubble bags.

There seems to be a bit of disagreement about how hard to agitate the ice-water-trimming mixture, some say very hard is best, some say gentle is best. For the first ziploc, I used a 2' potato masher (restaurant style) and really beat it up as hard as I could for 15 minutes. The first pull came out a very pale green, like wasabi but paler. Subsequent pulls were darker and turned brown after drying. In any event, I didn't get the bright yellow full melt. It's extremely good hash, mind you, and we got quite a bit, but I'd like to take it up a notch.

For the second ziploc, I tried the gentle approach. I gently stirred the mixture with a 2' wooden paddle (restaurant style) for 15 minutes. Results were basically the same, but less yield (more to do with the plants they came from). Still, no full melt. Again, very good, but not what I'm looking for.

So I have 2 more ziplocs left and I was hoping to get some tips before I went at them this weekend.

Some other things:

• Water is super cold in the low-mid 30s.
• Water is RO, but ice is not. Water has about 12 ppm according to my TDS meter
• Trimmings were in the freezer right until they went in the water
• Trimmings are mostly small flowers from lower branches of outdoor grow, but there is leaf in there

Thanks for looking at this

Shorten your agitation times a bit. If your are going for quality over quanity try a five minute spoon agitation. After you retrieve that then rerun material for 15 minutes. Getting melt takes practice

Thanks for the tip. I will try and be extra gentle

Gentleness is key to quality.
This is a fact.

what size micron screens are you using?

No bag in the machine, 190 as the catch bag, 160, 73, 45 and all water finally to the 25 separately

I find the best ice hash is with semi fresh trim and sugar. Like a week max since cutting plant. But I guess the fresher the more resilient bonds holding chlorophyll and other thing which dilute potency are. And yes being gentle is key. With dryer material in particular.

Also I think 110 is an important micron bag to use.

By using too many bags you are literally cutting into pieces your whole terpenes and cannabinoids spectrum.
110 to 160 will never deliver what you have in the 73 to 160 or 45 to 160.
The sum is bigger and better than the parts. All day.

Idk 110 consistently gives me te beat full melt pollen. I've always thought it had to so with the larger micron catching only unbroken trichs.

This is the major problem in the industry, you are all into techniques and tools but you do not study the resin glands.
Trichomes with a size ranging from 110 to 120 will be as "unbroken" as the trichomes ranging from 73 to 160.
I would be curious to know what do you mean by unbroken trichomes because that's a new one and I would love the definition

Unbroken as in not broken??

Lol I'm no expert I just run ice hash every other week and know that my 110 always has the best product. I use three bags plus my catch bag 110 being the largest micron. And although common sensesays the smaller micron the better I believe true full melt will be in the 70-110 range. Not as important with fresh product. But when dried all kind of contaminants sneak through the larger 110 micron and get caught in lower bags. Thus product will be grey or
brown or worse yet green. Anything but pure golden is Carbon mater and chlorophyll of which bonds become weak as decarb/ drying process happens. Thus more break off and I guess dilute your smaller micron catch bags. Along with half and broken trichs. That are small enough to get through the larger micron(100+). Idk why but this is how my mind thinks after doing this for quite a few years. I still collect at 43 73 by those will typically go into my cooking pile.

Unbroken as in not broken??
I don't know you tell me, I don't understand what you mean.
Resin quality is not about the size of the resin gland but about the resin formed inside.
Your 110 will be cleaner because it is easier to separate the trichomes from the green in the medium sizes like the 70 and 90.
I work a lot with cured trims and you should really study what curing does to the resin.
Trichomes broken in half, seriously my friend how could this happen.
I can refer you to some scientific paper if you want to get a better understanding of the resin glands and the formation of the cannabinoids because it does not really matter if you spin a lot or a little, knowledge of the material you are working with is mandatory in both case.

Hey I would like some research to look over. Send me some links! All my knowledge is guessing based on results trying different ways plus I do think trichs can break. Does that affect the quality problem not. Just makes it easier to get a purer end product. Also fr the cure. Fresh trim and buds can be used but will need to be cured after its in its hash form. Decarb process is of utmost importance and I usually dry/ cure my hash up to a month. Withdry beginning product hash can be smoked once dried. No cure required.

Frenchy Cannoli said:

Gentleness is key to quality.
This is a fact.

Click to expand...

Blow jobs are much the same in fact.

Just a bit of outside input, I've observed some strains have smaller and others larger trichomes.

Sourcing the Code: Searching for the Evolutionary Origins of Cannabinoid Receptors, Vanilloid Receptors, and Anandamide , John M. McPartland Patty Pruitt, http://www.cannabis-med.org/iacm/data/pdf/2002-01-3.pdf

THC (Tetrahydrocannabinol) accumulation in glands of Cannabis (Cannabaceae), Paul G. Mahlberg and Eun Soo Kim, Department of Biology, Indiana University, Bloomington, in USA; and Department of Biology, Konkuk University, Seoul, Korea

Introduction to secondary metabolism in cannabis by Isvett J. Flores Sanchez • Robert Verpoorte
Pharmacognosy Department, Institute of Biology, Gorlaeus Laboratories, Leiden University
Leiden, The Netherlands. Published in Phytochem Rev (200 7:615-639

Enjoy the read

Tha

Frenchy Cannoli said:

Sourcing the Code: Searching for the Evolutionary Origins of Cannabinoid Receptors, Vanilloid Receptors, and Anandamide , John M. McPartland Patty Pruitt, http://www.cannabis-med.org/iacm/data/pdf/2002-01-3.pdf
THC (Tetrahydrocannabinol) accumulation in glands of Cannabis (Cannabaceae), Paul G. Mahlberg and Eun Soo Kim, Department of Biology, Indiana University, Bloomington, in USA; and Department of Biology, Konkuk University, Seoul, Korea

Introduction to secondary metabolism in cannabis by Isvett J. Flores Sanchez • Robert Verpoorte
Pharmacognosy Department, Institute of Biology, Gorlaeus Laboratories, Leiden University
Leiden, The Netherlands. Published in Phytochem Rev (200 7:615-639

Enjoy the read

Click to expand...

Thanks for the reading material